(BLOOMINGTON) - Construction employment grew 3 percent in the Bloomington metropolitan area in the past year, according to data compiled by the Associated General Contractors of America.

Rod Spaw of the Herald Times reports that jobs were added in the Bloomington metro area, which includes Monroe, Greene and Owen counties. They lagged the statewide average of 7 percent, but still placed Bloomington in the top 100 metropolitan counties in the nation for construction employment growth.

The contractors' association reported that construction jobs were up in 36 percent of the nation's metropolitan areas from July 2011 to July 2012, and the number of jobs had declined in 49 percent of the 337 metro areas surveyed.

Construction employment in the Bloomington metro area increased by 100 total jobs during that period, the association reported.

Indiana had two of the top areas for construction job growth in the country, according to the data.

Construction employment in the Elkhart-Goshen metro area was up 13 percent (400 total jobs) for the period, good for sixth place nationwide, and the Indianapolis-Carmel metro area added 5,300 construction jobs, a 12 percent increase, which landed it in the 10th spot on the national rankings. The contractors' group said in a news release that areas experiencing growth were places where private sector demand is on the rebound.

Indiana's housing market has shown increased strength this summer as measured in other surveys, such as the Leading Index for Indiana compiled by the Indiana University Business Research Center.

Of the 16 Indiana metro areas included in the contractors' survey, eight recorded positive construction job growth in the past year, three reported a decline and job numbers in five areas were unchanged from July 2011.

The Columbus metro area experienced the largest percentage construction job decline in the state - 13 percent, or 400 total jobs.